Sheldon Shines, Sets Franchise RBI Record As Saints Win 6-3

ST. PAUL, MNJuly 15, 2012

Sheldon Shines, Sets Franchise RBI Record As Saints Win 6-3

July 15, 2012 at 7:33 PM

WINNIPEG, MB (July 15, 2012) – St. Paul Saints starting pitcher Anthony Claggett celebrated his 28th birthday on Sunday and Ole Sheldon gave him a big birthday gift by collecting four hits and setting the franchise record for career RBI in a 6-3 over the Winnipeg Goldeyes at Shaw Park.

After a 33 minute delay to the start of the game because of rain, it was the Goldeyes who jumped out on top in the bottom of the first inning. Price Kendall led off by reaching on a throwing error from shortstop Adam Frost. With one out Jon Weber walked and Yurendell de Caster followed with an RBI single. Catcher Alex Garabedian received the throw from Miles Durham in right and immediately fired it to third, but threw it into left field allowing Weber to score and sending de Caster to third. He would score on a Luis Alen double to make it 3-0. The Saints allowed at least a run in the first inning of all four games. After that inning, however, Claggett settled down. He allowed just one more hit and worked 5.0 innings allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits while walking two and striking out three in picking up his third win of the season.

The Saints offense mounted their comeback in the third inning when Willie Cabrera doubled with two outs and Sheldon knocked him home with a single that cut the deficit to 3-1.

In the fifth Jose Hernandez and Cabrera led off with back-to-back singles. That brought up Sheldon who deposited one over the left field wall for a three-run homer giving the Saints a 4-3 lead. The four RBI in the game gave Sheldon 213 for his Saints career surpassing the mark of 212 by Brent Krause (2007-11). Krause did it in 342 games while it took Sheldon 259 games to break the record. The homer was Sheldon’s 13th of the season, 53rd of his Saints career, two shy of breaking David Kennedy’s (1994, 97-99) record of 54 and two shy of the 100th homer of his career. Later in the inning Ronnie Bourquin hit a solo homer off of reliever Brian Beuning, his sixth of the season, to give the Saints a 5-3 lead.

The rain once again wreaked havoc in the bottom of the fifth when a 59 minute delay halted play with one out in the inning. When play resumed Claggett finished the inning and Saints pitchers retired a total of 15 in a row from one out in the third until one out in the eighth inning.

Nine of the 10 Saints players who entered the game collected a hit with Sheldon going 4-5 with a homer, four RBI and a run scored while Cabrera went 3-5 with a double and three runs scored.

For the second consecutive game the Saints bullpen did the job with four relievers combining to go 4.0 shutout innings allowing two hits. Dustin Klabunde picked up his second save in as many games.

The Saints return home for the first game of a three game series on Monday night against the Grand Prairie AirHogs at 7:05 p.m. The Saints send RHP Todd Mathison (0-1, 7.82) to the mound against AirHogs RHP Nick DeBarr (9-2, 2.81). It is Geek is Chic Night. The game can be heard on Club 1220 KLBB and in the ballpark on 87.9 FM.